Exercise Wallaby 2024 Highlights

AsiaOne

This year’s Exercise Wallaby is bigger than ever. With the addition of the Spyder air-defence system and H225M helicopter, the exercise at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in  Australia involves about 490 assets from the Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Digital and Intelligence Service over three training frames.  Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video

Transcript

00:00Exercise Wallaby is the largest air-land integrated exercise for the SAF, with more than 1,000

00:29RSAF personnel and over 30 RSAF platforms participating this year.

00:34This year's Exercise Wallaby is the longest duration till date, and also sees the inaugural

00:39participation of the H225M medium lift helicopter and the SPYDER air defence system.

00:46The vast terrain also allows our platform to operate their fullest capability in the

00:52terrain in Shorewater Bay training area.

00:54And importantly, all these exercises allow us to maximise the training opportunities

00:59that Shorewater Bay training area offers.

01:02So some key significant events I experienced in Wallaby is of course the terrain here.

01:08It's much different, much bigger and more complex in Singapore.

01:11Me and my operator have to get used to it, and also the gap here is different from Singapore

01:18because the far bank is a bit more narrow, so we have to also sharpen our judgement and

01:25make sure we are able to launch the bridge safely and successfully.

01:28My crew and I have travelled long distances, which allowed me to bond with them as well

01:33as tie down a lot of SOPs with them.

01:36On top of that, this has allowed me to test the full capabilities of the hunter.

01:40Due to travelling such long distances, we roughly know what the hunter can do over extended

01:46periods of time.

01:47On top of that, this exercise Wallaby has given me the opportunity to work with 48th

01:51Singapore Armoured Regiment, the tankies, on building a tactical team integration.

01:56The difference between being here and being in Singapore is the training programme is

02:00of course very different.

02:01For example, just now I fired the ATGM, right?

02:04That's something that we actually can't fire in Singapore.

02:06We are only allowed to fire it here.

02:08I think coming here, you really get to enrich yourself with all these new experiences.

02:12You get to really dive in.

02:15At the same time, there's different things like the space constraints of Singapore.

02:18You don't have any of that here.

02:19It's very different.

02:20Even though it's a challenge, when you actually do it, when you finish it, you've accomplished

02:24something that you're really very proud of.

02:26So, I feel very excited and thrilled to be here, being able to participate in Exercise

02:32Wallaby.

02:33Wallaby does have a vast airspace and the weather and climate is very different from

02:38Singapore.

02:39So, I'm glad that I'm able to work together closely with the other helicopter platforms

02:44such as CH and Apache so that we can maximise our training potential.

02:50And on top of that, I'm actually very happy that I actually got the opportunity to carry

02:55out my gunnery qualification role in Wallaby because it's my very first time operating

03:01a gun over here at night.

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